Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

Cartilage is a tissue with a huge complexity, which is present in the human body in three types: Hyaline cartilage, fibrocartilage and elastic cartilage. Apart from some resemblances, these types are quite different and play unlike roles for human functionality. For instance, the hyaline cartilage, also known as articular cartilage, has a major role in providing joints with a surface that combines low friction with high lubrication. On the other hand, fibro-cartilage (e.g. in the temporomandibular joint disc) spreads the intra-articular load, stabilizes the joints during translation and decreases the wear of the articular surface. Even though, getting a deeper knowledge on cartilage characterization and understanding, bridging the gap between anatomy and physiology, may lead the way for better implants aiming cartilage repair and regeneration. This is of even more interest as cartilage is an avascular tissue of the human body, hence with an extremely low capability for tissue regeneration. However, this ground-breaking issue can only be successful achieved with the establishment of multidisciplinary research teams. Thus, several processes have been tested to assemble tailored and optimized constructs that could endorse cartilage repair and regeneration. These processes advantages, drawbacks, results and capabilities will be presented and discussed.